Stand-alone types of automatic vending machines, which accommodate commodities and vend the accommodated commodities automatically, have heretofore been used widely. Ordinarily, as the stand-alone types of automatic vending machines, automatic vending machines for vending drinks, such as canned juices and canned coffees, are popular. A large number of such automatic vending machines are installed at various sites on roads and in indoor facilities, such as station yards and movie theaters.
Also, recently, besides the stand-alone types of automatic vending machines for drinks, stand-alone types of automatic vending machines, from which foods for light meals are capable of being purchased easily, such as automatic vending machines for ice creams and automatic vending machines for snack confectionery, are installed at various sites.
When drinks are purchased, it is often desired that snack confectionery is capable of being purchased together with the drinks. Therefore, it will be desirable as forms of installation of automatic vending machines that the automatic vending machines for snack confectionery are installed together with the automatic vending machines for drinks. It is considered that, if the automatic vending machines for snack confectionery are installed together with the automatic vending machines for drinks, sales of both the drinks and the snack confectionery will be enhanced, and serviceability will also be enhanced.
In cases where the automatic vending machines for snack confectionery are to be installed together with the automatic vending machines for drinks, it will be most efficient and desirable that the automatic vending machines for snack confectionery are installed by the side of the automatic vending machines for drinks, which have already been installed. However, a space for installation of the stand-alone types of automatic vending machines for snack confectionery will not always be available in the vicinity of the stand-alone types of automatic vending machines for drinks, which have already been installed. Also, in order for the automatic vending machines for snack confectionery to be installed, considerable labor and time and a high cost are required. It is considered that the problems described above are typical reasons why the automatic vending machines for snack confectionery do not become popular.
Also, ordinary automatic vending machines for drinks are constituted such that a commodity taking-out opening (i.e., a commodity vending opening) is formed at a lower region of the automatic vending machine, and the lowest commodity, which is among a plurality of commodities laid up within a commodity accommodating section formed at an upper region of the automatic vending machine, is caused to fall into the commodity taking-out opening. In this manner, a first-in first-out operation for the commodities is facilitated. However, in cases where the commodity taking-out opening is formed at the lower region of the automatic vending machine, a space for exclusive use as the commodity taking-out opening becomes necessary, and therefore the size of the automatic vending machine cannot be kept small. Further, unlike the cases of the canned drinks, in cases where the commodities are the snack confectionery, there is the risk that the snack confectionery commodities will break due to the falling. Therefore, the falling type of commodity taking-out operation is not appropriate for the snack confectionery commodities. Accordingly, it may be considered that the commodity vending opening be formed at an upper region of the automatic vending machine. However, it is necessary for foods, including drinks, to be vended such that old foods are vended first. In cases where the commodity vending opening is formed at an upper region of the automatic vending machine, the first-in first-out operation for the commodities cannot always be performed.
In view of the above circumstances, the object of the present invention is to provide a small-sized automatic vending machine, wherein a commodity vending opening is formed at an upper region of the automatic vending machine, such that machine size reduction and commodity protection are capable of being achieved, and a first-in first-out operation for commodities is capable of being performed easily.